A
Special Cabinet Meeting convened on Tuesday 5th November 2019 discussed and
approved the 2020 budget estimates as well as the government’s development
plans and priorities, including a National Health Insurance Scheme that will
guarantee easy and affordable medical health care for vulnerable families.
The
meeting was urgently convened pursuant to Section 152 of the 1997 Constitution
of The Gambia, which requires the government to submit to the National Assembly
the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditures for the following year at least 30
days before the end of the Financial Year. The Budget is pro-poor and demonstrates
the giant strides being undertaken by the Barrow government to respond to the
social and economic needs of Gambians.
With
the Health Insurance Scheme in place, there will be guarantees that vulnerable
families will have medical attention as and when the need arises. To ensure
proper implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Cabinet has
tasked the Ministry of Finance to critically analyze the process for the
benefit of the citizenry.
The
Draft Financial Year 2020 Budget Estimates has been generated based on the
objectives of the National Development Plan (NDP), which took into
consideration detailed forecasts including growth, inflation, projected
revenues, and specified strategic priorities and policy goals of the
government. It, therefore, outlines key priority activities to be funded in
2020 and their source of funding.
Cabinet
also discussed and approved a paper presented by the Honourable Minister of
Finance and Economic Affairs on the Medium Term Economic Fiscal Framework
2020-2024. This document outlines expenditures reflecting the government’s key
fiscal policy priorities over the medium term, which are aligned with the
National Development Plan.
The
Medium-Term Economic Fiscal Framework 2020-2024 will serve as a policy tool to
guide budget realities, investment and public procurement options, debt
strategies and borrowing plans of the government and key reform priorities
necessary for macro-fiscal sustainability.
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